Krakow has for years campaigned for changes to local tax laws and has teamed up with the Association of Polish Cities to put pressure on the central government.

Tourist taxes have become a popular solution to swell local authority coffers and tackle overtourism in many popular destinations.

Prague 1, the district containing many of the Czech capital’s premiere attractions, for example, has recently moved to raise its tourist levy from the current daily maximum of 50 CZK (about €2) to the EU average of €7 per night.

Under the current Polish law on local taxes and fees, if municipalities meet certain criteria they can charge a tourism tax to a maximum of 3.22 złoty (€0.75) per visitor per night. Krakow, Poland’s most visited city, imposed such a tax in 2014–2015 but had to suspend collections due to new environmental stipulations the city failed to meet.

In order to recommence the levy, city councilors drew up proposals for legal amendments back in 2017. They were sent to the Association of Polish Cities, which forwarded them to the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. The mayor of Krakow has also lobbied ministries, including as recently as January, but to no avail.

Now city elders hope their resolution will prompt the state government to take action.

Krakow wants to impose the tax to pay for sustainable tourism projects intended to improve conditions for locals and visitors alike. The city is visited by over 10 million tourists a year, according to data from Statista, with a pre-Covid peak of more than 14 million in 2019.